The power to steal power from the god one represents.
The ether I’d taken from Verid crept into my body, burning my wounds. The ether within my arm was dense. It felt like it could burst at any moment, but I desperately kept in under wraps.
Then when the axe finally descended, I met it with my fist.
The sound of something getting crushed resounded.
My arm was dead again, but in exchange, the giant axe was no more.
“GouRUAA!?” The ogre lord looked on wide-eyed, unable to believe what had just transpired.
But I wasn’t kind enough to wait for it to regain its senses. I immediately set off for its head.
At the same time, Gi Za struck the ogre lord with his wind spear, toppling the ogre lord onto its back.
And I slammed my fists burning with ether onto the sole of its foot, to vanquish it once and for all.
It seemed so strong, and yet, here it was now, on its back, blood spurting out of its mouth as a blow to its feet rendered it incapacitated.
The ogre lord gazed at me with that muddied eye of it. My right arm was no more, but it’s a small price to pay for victory.
And just like that, the ogre lord breathed its last.
I nodded. “Gather the living, and we’ll go knock on that door.”
Gi Za nodded, and he went off to check every goblin one by one.
Meanwhile, I looked up the door leading to the Lord of Decay.
“Verid? Explain yourself.” The goddess of the underworld’s golden gaze was cold as frost.
“It seems the demonic children of chaosGoblins have won.” The one-eyed snake said as he looked through the evil mirror.
“Did I not instruct you not to lend your strength?” The goddess asked.
“Master, you know me your faithful servant. I have not gone against your word nor sought to plot around it.” Verid shook his head.
“Hmm… It’s fine if that’s the case.”
The goblins had won. The brilliance of the king’s soul had returned, and with it, took victory by the reins.
It was the result she’d wanted in the first place, but for some reason, the goddess still seemed troubled.\n“How much did he take?”
A tenth, only a tenth. But that was the tenth of one of the four snakes that once challenged the world. The power behind that mere tenth was nothing to scoff at.
“…Interesting.” A bewitching smile rose on the underworld goddess’ lips. “I’ve been treating it a pet all this time, but… I’ve changed my mind. I’ll grant him my blessings earnestly.”
At the goddess’ behest, the snake left the realm. And the snake thought to himself.
Right now that goblin cannot control that power. But, he’ll have to in the future. Otherwise, there won’t be any point in receiving that power in the first place.
He would support him for as long as his master ordered him to. So it would be troubling if he couldn’t meet expectations.
“Grow stronger, little brother.” Verid muttered despite knowing it would reach none.